Penang

MALAYSIA will see its eighth Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) property open next month, this time in Penang. It's a first for the state, which has seen its real estate prices and values in George Town soar since its 2008 Unesco heritage listing.

The company behind the 35-room The Edison George Town - ET Hospitality Ventures Sdn Bhd - is a subsidiary of ET Group, which is helmed by veteran Singaporean hotelier Eddie Tan. Mr Tan was formerly a general manager with the Mandarin group. He last held the post at Marina Mandarin (from 1997 to 2005) before he moved to Penang and based his hotel and property consultancy there, running it with his son Eugene.